Treat Mom to a day off from cooking

THERE’S NO SHORTage of alternatives this year for treating Mom to a day off from cooking; most restaurants and function venues across the Pioneer Valley are promoting sometimes-unique ways to pamper her on her special day. What follows are a few more notable of those dining out options.

Those wishing to celebrate Mother’s Day with a taste of South Asian exotic can do so thanks to Sunday’s Mother’s Day brunch at Bombay Royale Restaurant in Northampton.

Served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the brunch buffet will include appetizers, salads, tandoori kababs, regional Indian specialties, seafood selections, and a special dessert.

The restaurant also will serve its a la carte dinner menu from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For reservations, call 413-341-3537.

Tekoa Country Club in Westfield will be serving its annual Mother’s Day Brunch on Sunday starting at 11 a.m.

The buffet-style meal will include breakfast favorites like French toast, eggs, and a build-your-own omelet station.

For those in a more luncheon frame of mind, chicken cordon bleu, cod piccata, and a roasted vegetable lasagna will be part of the buffet line-up, along with a prime rib carving station.

Reservations are available for an 11 a.m. seating; they can be made by calling 413-568-1626, ext. 2.

Chef-owner Michael Anderson of Tucker’s Restaurant in Southwick has put together a special menu for Mother’s Day.

The restaurant will be serving from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, and among what’s on offer are grilled duck breast with a clementine salsa, roast lamb top sirloin with mint pesto, chicken stuffed with ham, apricots, and sharp cheddar, and baked cod garnished with lemon-tarragon panko crumbs.

Among the brunch-styled menu choices are brunch pie and a broccoli and cheddar omelet. Reservations for Mother’s Day at Tucker’s Restaurant can be made by calling 413569-0120.

East Mountain Country Club in Westfield also will be hosting a Mother’s Day brunch.

A breakfast buffet of eggs, waffles, breakfast meats and more will be available, as will a beef and poultry carving station. Seafood and pasta options will also be served, as will an assortment of desserts.

The buffet will be open from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is priced at $35 per person, all-inclusive. Reservations, which are required, can be made online or by calling 413-374-3434.

Villa Napoletana in East Longmeadow will be serving an elaborate Mother’s Day brunch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The Grand Buffet will feature hand-carved prime rib and honey-glazed ham, made-toorder waffles, and other hot breakfast classics. A number of luncheon-style options will be available, and dessert will be included as well. Villa Napoletana will be switching to its dinner menu after 4 p.m. that day. Reservations for either brunch or dinner can be made by calling 413-732-9300.

Offering panoramas of the Connecticut River and the Mount Holyoke Range beyond, The Boathouse in South Hadley will be serving Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The restaurant’s regular menu will be available from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling 413-5362342.

Krafted Kitchen in East Windsor, Connecticut, is offering a Mother’s Day To-Go Brunch Box.

Created to serve four people, the menu includes strawberry-stuffed French toast, a veggie and cheese quiche, loaded twice-baked potato casserole, pan-fried eggplant rollatini, and chilled pasta primavera.

A fruit and berry platter, citrus salad, and raspberry chocolate chip crumb cake are also part of the to-go feast. Advance orders are required, and they can be placed online at kraftedkitchen.store/s/order. Krafted Kitchen answers at 860-506-1452.

Side Dishes

• The Student Prince Cafe and Fort Restaurant in Springfield is capitalizing on one of their most popular holiday traditions by bringing back the Fort Street Carolers this month.

The Carolers will be on hand Friday and Saturday evenings through May 20 as part of the restaurant’s Maifest observance. They will be performing selections from “The Sound of Music,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway classic. As is the case during the holiday season, reservations are essential for those evenings when the Carolers are on hand.

Wine

($57.98 at Yankee Spirits in Sturbridge)

Region: Champagne, France

Grapes: Blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier and chardonnay

What better wine to recommend for Mother’s Day than a Champagne called Mumm. The name comes from the last name of the German family that created this winery — which are called Houses (“Maison” in French) in the Champagne region — in Reims, France in 1827. This brut (the word French winemakers in Champagne use for dry-tasting sparkling wine) rose has a wonderful, light, refreshing finish. Sure, there are hints of strawberry and raspberry, but there’s nothing sweet or syrupy about this crisp, dry Champagne. It’s simply superb.

• 2022 Fleurs De Prairie Rose ($20 Suggested Retail Price)

Region: Languedoc, France

Grapes: 43% grenache noir, 40% syrah, 9% carignan, 5% cinsault, 3% mourvèdre

You can read more about a wide range of rose wines in the next few weeks from around the world. Because who doesn’t love a cool, crisp dry rose this time of year? Fleurs de Prairie means “meadow flowers” or “wildflowers” in French. And you can definitely taste and smell those wonderful, light floral aromas in every glass. Its crisp, dry flavors also include hints of peach, strawberry, lemon and sea salt.

• 2019 Ettore Pure Chardonnay ($28 SRP)

Region: Mendocino, California

Grapes: Chardonnay

Located north of San Francisco right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, Mendocino might not get the same attention as California’s Napa Valley when it comes to wine. But this outstanding white wine proves that it should. You can taste hints of the nearby ocean, with flavors that include sea salt and lemon. There are also floral notes and hints of melon and peach. A beautiful, pleasant, easy-going wine perfect for a warm spring or summer day.

• 2019 Pio Cesare Barolo ($75 SRP)

Region: Barolo, Piedmont, Italy

Grapes: Nebbiolo

Many fans of elegant red wines from Italy’s Barolo region probably already know about Pio Cesare. For those of you unfamiliar with this family-owned winery founded in 1881, you’re in for a treat. Over the years, I have tasted this wine from several different vintages several different times. And each time, I have always been impressed by its dense, intense, vibrant flavors. In this particular case, those flavors include roasted plums and blackberries, with hints of black licorice and toasted almonds.

• 2021 Paul Hobbs

George Menini Estate Pinot Noir ($90 SRP)

Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California

Grapes: Pinot noir

The Russian River Valley section of Sonoma County has quietly been building a stellar reputation for the past few decades for making outstanding, complex earthy wines. This beautifully well-balanced pinot noir manages to mix together a wide range of subtle flavors and aromas, including roasted cherries, plums and blackberries along with a dash of dark chocolate and roasted chestnuts. A truly great wine for every truly great mom. Cheers!

Wine Press by Ken Ross appears on Masslive.com every Monday and in The Republican’s Weekend section every Thursday.

Of course, Maifest at the Student Prince also means Maibock beer, woodruff-scented May wine, and springtime menu specialties.

For more information or to book a table, call the restaurant at 413-734-7474.

• On May 18, the Brass Rail Meeting House in Southwick will be presenting a charcuterie class.

The presentation will focus on the “how-to” of putting together an attractive display of meats, cheeses, crackers, and more.

Participation in the class, which costs $40 plus tax and gratuity, includes a glass of wine; a cash bar will also be available. Reservations can be made online at brassrail meetinghouse.com/char cuterie-class

On May 21, the Brass Rail will also be kicking off a summer-long “Sunday Funday” series of vendor fairs. These events will be held every Sunday through Aug. 27 from 2 to 6 p.m.

However, there will be no Funday event on May 27.

Local vendors will be fea- tured and each Funday will host multiple food trucks. Live music will be also part of the fun. The Brass Rail is still signing up food truck operators who’d like to participate in this Funday series.

Contact the Brass Rail Meeting House at 413-569-9585 for more details about either event.

• On May 17, from 3 to 8 p.m. the Iron Duke Brewing Co. in Ludlow will be hosting Macken’s Sliders as part of Iron Duke’s Food Truck Wednesday series.

Macken’s Sliders is a Southwick-based food truck that specializes in four-bite burgers. Some of the options in their slider line-up include a BBQ Cowboy, A Garlic Bomb, and a gently-spicy Jamaican Jerk Chicken topped with pineapple and slaw.

A Bacon Waffle Cheeseburger is a “truck specialty,” and, for a vegetarian option, Macken’s also prepares a Caprese Slider that layers mozzarella, sliced tomato, and basil pesto.

Iron Duke Brewing Company answers at 413- 624-6258.

• The public dining room at the Country Club of Wilbraham, now being operated as “3 Guys at the Grille,” will be hosting the band General Gist tomorrow, starting at 7 p.m. General Gist, which specializes in high energy rock, will be performing until 10 p.m.

All are welcome, and reservations for dinner, which is served starting at 5 p.m., can be made by calling 413-5968887.

• Scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, the Enfield Food Truck Festival is being held at Enfield Square, with more than 20 food trucks signed up to be on site. Admission to the festival is free.

In addition an array of interesting food options, the festival will feature 50 local crafters and vendors as well as games and rides for the young and young at heart. Festival hours on Saturday are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Connecticut Food Truck Festivals is the organizer of this event. Their email address is ctfoodtruckfestivals@ gmail.com.

• Champney’s Restaurant at the Deerfield Inn in Deerfield is launching its Summer Concert Series on the Terrace today.

Scheduled for Thursday evenings throughout the summer months, the concerts are rain or shine events that feature local talent. Performances run from 6 to 9 p.m., and Champney’s offers a full dinner menu. Reservations, which are advised, can be made by calling 413-774-5587.

• Last week Wendy’s, America’s No. 2 burger chain, in its words, “turned up the heat” by introducing two new menu items.

The Ghost Pepper Ranch Chicken Sandwich builds on the chain’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich by adding ghost pepper-infused American cheese, ghost pepper-seasoned crispy onions, and a creamy ghost pepper ranch sauce to the sandwich build.

The other menu newbie, Ghost Pepper Fries, get a similar flavor upgrade in the form of a spicy fry sauce coating.

Ghost peppers, originally grown in India, are one of the world’s hottest peppers, rated at 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce. In addition to flavoring super-hot condiments, ghost pepper extract is also used in the formulation of pepper spray canisters.

Hugh Robert is a faculty member in Holyoke Community College’s hospitality and culinary arts program and has nearly 50 years of restaurant and educational experience. Robert can be reached online at OffTheMenuGuy@aol.com.